Existing comment:
San Cristobal No.1 , MRBM Site, October 14, 1962:
This is one of 928 images taken during an aerial photographic reconnaissance mission flown over Cuba on Sunday, October 14, 1962. On October 15, analysts at the National Photographic Interpretation Center concluded that the photographs showed evidence of Soviet missile site construction in Cuba and conveyed their findings to McGeorge Bundy, the President's National Security Adviser.
Early the following morning, Bundy delivered the news and the photos to the President in his bedroom. Wearing his bathrobe, reviewing the newspapers and working papers in preparation for a normal workday, the President learned of the imminent threat to the nation's security. The presence and size of the missiles was presumptive of nuclear capability. He called a meeting of his foreign policy advisers for 11:45 that morning.
Months later, when JFK asked Bundy why he waited before delivering this news, Bundy explained: "I decided that a quiet evening and a night of sleep were the best preparation you could have." |